The 2026 NBA Finals have made it abundantly clear that teams will have a hard time winning if they can't play physical defense in the playoffs. Finesse teams will always have a place, but meeting slashing scorers and post players at the point of attack is as critical as ever before.
The Los Angeles Lakers are expected to attempt to address their lack of players who thrive in that regard with an ambitious offseason. If those new additions are going to have a culture to thrive within, however, Los Angeles will need to re-sign Marcus Smart.
Los Angeles is known to be prioritizing defense this summer, with wings and centers both on the agenda. Adding those players around Luka Doncic and, presumably, Austin Reaves would certainly improve the Lakers' odds of competing at the highest level.
The hurdle with adding a new cast around offensive-minded players, however, is figuring out who's going to lead by example. For the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs, it's players such as OG Anunoby and Victor Wembanyama. for the Lakers, it could be Smart.
Smart is an all-out defensive presence who helped change the Lakers' culture in 2025-26. Unfortunately, he's also a pending free agent who could decline his player option in favor of a multi-year contract after experiencing two injury-plagued years in 2023-24 and 2024-25.
If the Lakers can re-sign Smart to a team-friendly deal—or if they're lucky enough for him to accept his $5,390,700 player option—then the ball would certainly get rolling in the right direction.
Lakers eyeing up-and-coming defenders, but they'll need a leader
The Lakers will have the benefit of a virtual financial clean slate this summer. They also have the rare gift of a first-round draft pick. As such, the resources at Los Angeles' disposal should prove sufficient if they make the right commitments and decisions along the way to at least get closer to ideal quality.
Between the draft and free agency, however, the Lakers' top rumored targets tend to share a similar quality: Youth and relative inexperience.
Wing defenders such as Tari Eason, 25, and Peyton Watson, 23, have postseason experience, yes, but they've generally been a cog in the proverbial machine. In Los Angeles, however, they'd be asked to play more minutes and take on opposing teams' top perimeter scorers on a nightly basis.
There's a thick line between thriving as an individual defender and helping to lead a defense, however, and Smart is one of the revered players who can check both boxes.
With Smart in the rotation, the Lakers could bring in fresh faces to a culture that already has a locker room leader in place. That would make integration a far easier challenge to overcome, as well as a defensive structure to build around.
Los Angeles has every reason to hit the reset button this summer,, but after a season during which Smart helped change the way they prioritized defense, they need his leadership.
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